Dogecoin's Moonbound Satellite Suggests Crypto is Far From Dead
Despite headlines suggesting cryptocurrency is dead, Dogecoin has found a way to launch a satellite towards the moon on September 14. The satellite, DOGE-1, will carry cameras and sensors to gather information about the moon, marking a significant milestone for the cryptocurrency community.
The journey began in December 2013 when IBM engineer Billy Markus and Adobe marketer Jackson Palmer created Dogecoin as a joke about the cryptocurrency boom. However, people started using it, forming an online community that tipped strangers for good posts and organized charity drives.
In January 2014, Dogecoin users raised tens of thousands of dollars to help send the Jamaican bobsled team to the Sochi Winter Olympics. The success continued with clean-water projects in Kenya funded by Dogecoin users just two months later.
Elon Musk's enthusiasm for Dogecoin in 2019 helped turn it into a buying frenzy, with the price climbing from under a penny at the start of that year to about 73 cents on May 8, 2021. The price fell by over a third after Musk hosted 'Saturday Night Live' just days later.
The Dogecoin payment for the DOGE-1 satellite launch is documented, but a September 14 launch is not confirmed. Next Spaceflight lists the satellite as sharing a rocket with Intuitive Machines' IM-3 mission, which is set to launch in 2027 at the earliest.